Attack on Titan: Before the Fall
| demographic = Male | imprint = Kodansha Ranobe Bunko | magazine = | magazine_en = | first = December 2, 2011 | last = June 29, 2012 | volumes = 3 | volume_list = #Volume list }} | demographic = Shōnen | imprint = | magazine = Monthly Shōnen Sirius | magazine_en = | first = August 26, 2013 | last = March 26, 2019 | volumes = 17 | volume_list = #Volume list 2 }} is a series of Japanese light novels written by Ryō Suzukaze and illustrated by THORES Shibamoto. The three novels were published in 2011 and 2012. The series is a prequel to Hajime Isayama's ''Attack on Titan manga. A manga adaptation by Satoshi Shiki was serialized between 2013 and 2019. Plot The series is set 70 years before the events of Attack on Titan, and is divided into two parts: the first focuses on Angel Aaltonen, the developer of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment; the second part follows the life of Kuklo, a boy who was found as a baby in a pile of Titan vomit, having been birthed by one of the Titan's victims after they were eaten. He is labelled the "Titan's son" and imprisoned for many of his younger years, before being freed by his owner's daughter, Sharle, and eventually joining the Survey Corps. Media Light novel The series of light novels is written by Ryō Suzukaze, with illustrations by THORES Shibamoto. Three volumes were released between 2011 and 2012. It serves as a prequel to the Attack on Titan manga, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. The series was licensed in North America by Vertical, who published the first volume in summer 2014, followed by the second and third volumes in a 2-in-1 omnibus format in summer 2015. Attack on Titan: Before the Fall 3 part novel series begins with Volume 1 named Attack on Titan: Before the Fall, Volume 2 is Marching Giants and Volume 3 is Kuklo Unbound. The English version combines Volumes 2 and 3 into Kuklo Unbound. Volume list | ISBN = 978-4-06-375202-1 | LicensedRelDate = September 16, 2014 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-939130-86-0 | LineColor = ED1C24 }} | ISBN = 978-4-06-375228-1 | LicensedRelDate = May 26, 2015 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-939130-87-7 | LineColor = ED1C24 }} | ISBN = 978-4-06-375243-4 | LicensedRelDate = May 26, 2015 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-939130-87-7 | LineColor = ED1C24 }} Manga A manga adaptation, written by Suzukaze and illustrated by Satoshi Shiki, was published in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine from August 26, 2013 to March 26, 2019 and was collected in seventeen volumes. The series received a special chapter in the May issue of Monthly Shōnen Sirius on March 25, 2014. Kodansha USA announced in October 2013 that it had licensed the series, and began releasing it in North America in spring 2014. Volume list | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-376439-0 | LicensedRelDate = March 11, 2014 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-61262-910-0 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | }} * "Trailer" | Summary= }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-376460-4 | LicensedRelDate = August 19, 2014 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-61262-912-4 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | | }} | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-376486-4 | LicensedRelDate = December 9, 2014 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-61262-914-8 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | }} * | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-376515-1 | LicensedRelDate = March 31, 2015 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-61262-981-0 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | }} * | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-376537-3 | LicensedRelDate = August 25, 2015 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-61262-982-7 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | | }} | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-376564-9 | LicensedRelDate = December 29, 2015 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-224-7 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | }} * * | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-376590-8 | LicensedRelDate = April 12, 2016 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-225-4 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | | }} * | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-390619-6 | LicensedRelDate = August 9, 2016 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-260-5 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | | }} * | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-390641-7 | LicensedRelDate = December 13, 2016 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-320-6 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | | }} * | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-390667-7 | LicensedRelDate = April 18, 2017 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-381-7 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | | | }} * | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-390696-7 | LicensedRelDate = August 8, 2017 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-382-4 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-390725-4 | LicensedRelDate = December 26, 2017 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-383-1 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-510504-7 | LicensedRelDate = April 3, 2018 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-536-1 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-511218-2 | LicensedRelDate = August 21, 2018 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-614-6 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-512288-4 | LicensedRelDate = December 4, 2018 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-657-3 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-513812-0 | LicensedRelDate = April 4, 2019 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-829-4 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | Summary = }} | OriginalISBN = 978-4-06-515204-1 | LicensedRelDate = August 27, 2019 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-63236-875-1 | LineColor = ED1C24 | ChapterList = | Summary = }} Reception The manga had 1.4 million copies in print in August 2015. A number of volumes of the manga have made it onto The New York Times manga best-sellers list: * Volume one was on the list for five non-consecutive weeks: for the first two weeks it ranked at number one. * * * * * * Volume two was on the list for one week at fifth place. * Volume three was on the list for one week at fourth place. * Volume four was on the list for two weeks, ranking at fourth and eighth place, respectively. * * * Volume seven was on the list for one week, ranking at fourth place. Reviewing the first novel for Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman called it "well-written, engrossing, and with the feel of historical fiction rather than fantasy". She wrote that "Suzukaze's writing style is very visual ... the prose can make your stomach churn and hair stand on end, not so much in a straight horror way, but more in the sense of a nightmare coming true when you had convinced yourself that it was just a dream." She concluded by saying "If you aren't tired of Attack on Titan or perhaps just want a boost to flagging interest, Before the Fall is absolutely worth reading", and gave the book a grade of A−. Reviewing the second, omnibus volume, she also gave it a grade of A−, calling the book "an exciting read that requires little prior knowledge of the AoT world." She was critical of the fact that "Sharle, who begins as a promising character, is woefully underdeveloped and underutilized", but concluded her review by saying that the story "gives us what the original manga does in novel form, and there really isn't much higher praise that an adaptation can get than that." References External links * at Kodansha USA * Category:2011 Japanese novels Category:Attack on Titan Category:Kodansha books Category:Light novels Category:Vertical (company) titles Category:Kodansha manga Category:Shōnen manga Category:Prequel novels